In this guide
Resumes and cover letters
How to write a resume with no work experience
Build a first resume from study, volunteering, caring, projects and informal work, with a section order, rewritten examples and a short profile to adapt.
Evidence you probably already have
- School, college or university work, especially projects, presentations and coursework with a practical output.
- Informal work: helping in a family business, babysitting, tutoring, odd jobs for neighbours.
- Volunteering, fundraising and community roles.
- Caring responsibilities that involved organisation, reliability or dealing with services.
- Clubs, sport, music and teams where you held a role or kept a commitment over time.
- Online courses or self-taught skills you can show, such as a website or a spreadsheet you built.
UK careers guidance makes the same point for first jobs: focus on skills from projects, work experience and volunteering, and use interests that show relevant qualities.
A section order that leads with your strengths
- Name and contact details.
- A two-line profile saying what kind of role you want and what you bring.
- Education, if it is your strongest evidence, or experience, if your informal or voluntary work is.
- Experience: paid, voluntary and informal, labelled honestly.
- Skills: specific tools and abilities you can demonstrate.
- Interests, only where they show something useful for the job.
Turning everyday responsibility into resume lines
Illustrative example
Helping in a family business
Before
Helped at my aunt's café.
After
Café assistant, family business (informal, Saturdays, 2024–2025): served customers, took card payments and restocked the counter during the lunchtime rush.
Illustrative example
A school project
Before
Did a business studies project.
After
Led a four-person school enterprise project that designed and sold reusable bags at two school fairs, keeping the stock and sales record.
Illustrative example
Caring responsibilities
Before
Looked after a family member.
After
Organised medication schedules and appointments for a relative for two years while completing college, liaising with the GP surgery and pharmacy.
Sharing caring experience is your choice. If you include it, describe the organisation and reliability it involved, not personal or medical detail.
A short profile that states your direction
Illustrative example
A first-job profile
- Reliable and organised school leaver with experience serving customers in a family café and coordinating a school enterprise project, looking for a first retail or customer service role with training opportunities.
Each claim in the profile points to something the rest of the page shows.
Skills worth listing at this stage
| Skill | How to show it |
|---|---|
| Cash handling and payments | Informal or family work, fundraising stalls |
| Customer service | Any role dealing with the public, including events and volunteering |
| Digital skills | Named software you used for coursework or a project |
| Timekeeping and reliability | Regular commitments kept over months, such as a weekend role or team training |
| Working in a team | A project or team where you can name your part |
Before you send it
First-resume check
- It fits on one page without small text.
- Informal and voluntary roles are labelled as such.
- Every skill has an example somewhere on the page.
- My email address is professional and I have checked it works.
- Someone I trust has read it for spelling and clarity.
Common questions
Can I include babysitting or informal jobs on a resume?
Yes. Label them honestly as informal or family work and describe the responsibility involved, such as keeping to a schedule or handling money.
Should I include my school grades?
At the start of your career, yes, especially in subjects the job mentions such as English or maths. They become less important as you gain other evidence.
Sources
- National Careers Service: how to write a CV / resumeNational Careers Service (GOV.UK) · England · checked 3 October 2026
Put it into practice
See how Luceria helps with thisDrafted with AI assistance and checked against Luceria’s editorial standards. Examples are illustrative, not real people’s results. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.